Aug 24 Politics of tech

Tech workers turn against the UK and US due to Trump and Brexit concerns

Forty percent of US tech workers have considered moving to a new location since the election of Donald Trump, with close to one-third citing Canada as their first choice, ahead of Germany (12%), Asia (10%) and Australia (10%). Also, while 6% of those surveyed list the UK as relocation preference, 43% of techies say that Brexit has now made the UK a less desirable place to live.

Hired says its findings are definitely to do with uncertainty caused by potential changes in immigration policy in the US and the UK, believing that this could cause major problems for the two market’s tech sectors.

“In both countries, the need for tech talent remains at an all-time high, and if companies can’t rely on foreign workers to help cover shortfalls in domestic supply, we’re likely to see an exacerbation of the skills gap,” the company says.

This has competiveness issues, of course, as others try to gain from US and UK ambiguity.

“This is especially true given efforts by countries like France and Canada to lure tech talent and companies to their soil through more relaxed immigration policies, special visas for entrepreneurs and tech talent, and tax incentives for businesses.”

On the Brexit front, Hired says its data shows that the percentage of UK companies sending offers to candidates outside the country fell from 25% at the beginning of 2016 to just 18% a year later, a decrease of almost 30%.